Saving Sumatra’s Rainforests, Its Orangutans, and the Orangutan Haven

Join the World Affairs Councils of Colorado and the University of Colorado Boulder for a conversation with Dr. Ian Singleton on his work to rescue and conserve orangutan and about conservation efforts of the forests in the face of deforestation for palm oil plantations.

About Our Speaker

Dr. Ian Singleton is Director of Conservation at PanEco Foundation and Scientific Director for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. He was formerly Senior orangutan keeper at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and Animal keeper at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Zoological Society of London. He studied at the University of Kent (PhD, Ecology; orangutan ranging behaviour, 1996 – 2000) and the University of Sunderland (BSc(hons), Environmental Science, 1984 – 1987).

He works to confiscate illegal pet orangutans and return them to a life in the wild and continues field research and monitoring of the remaining wild Sumatran orangutan population in an effort to protect their habitat.  He was bestowed the highly esteemed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for his notable contributions to environmental conservation throughout his career.  Singleton considered his 2017 discovery of a new orangutan species – the Pongo tapanuliensis, also known as the Tapanuli orangutan – alongside other scientists in North Sumatra -- to be one of his most memorable accomplishments.

About Our Moderator

Daniel J. Naumenko is a Ph.D Student who has worked with an international research team studying Bornean orangutans and their forest habitats for the past 7 years. His work focuses on the impacts of forest fire smoke emissions on orangutan health and behavior, and on environmental drivers of oxidative stress and decelerated aging.

Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 5pm

Location: Zoom

Tickets: Free!

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